In Syria, the Syrian Government forces captured Qusayr, a strategic city in Homs province connecting the capital to the Mediterranean coast. Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were reported to have killed at least 100 people who fled the town of Qusayr after it was captured by army troops on 9 June. The UN and the ICRC have requested humanitarian access to Qusayr, but this request was turned down by the Syrian Government despite winning assurances of access earlier in the week.

Food security levels are generally better than a year earlier in East Africa and the Sahel, with most areas facing either IPC phase 1 ‘minimal’ or phase 2 ‘stressed’ conditions, thanks to favorable agro-climatic conditions in 2012.

28.8 million internally displaced people worldwide in 2012, record high includes five-fold increase in Syria

GENEVA, 29 APRIL 2013: The number of people internally displaced by armed conflict, violence and human rights violations at the end of 2012 was 28.8 million, an increase of 2.4 million people on the previous year and the highest global figure ever reported by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).

The south-west coast of Madagascar was hit by Tropical Cyclone “Haruna” on 22 February as a Category 2 Tropical Cyclone with wind speeds of 154 km/h to 177 km/h and heavy rains. According to OCHA, as of 23 February 7,330 people were displaced and 10 people were killed. Initial assessments indicate severe damage to houses and infrastructure.

In Syria, insurgents heightened their offensive to capture airports and air bases in Aleppo, leading to intense fighting across the province. In eastern Syria, rebels captured the town al-Shaddadeh after three days of fighting that left 130 people dead and forced some 40,000 people to flee the town. The number of Syrian refugees continued to rise, amounting to a total of 830,675, an increase of around 38,500 newly registered refugees or individuals awaiting registration in a week.

In Syria, opposition forces launched a coordinated offensive in the capital Damascus for two consecutive days on 6 February. Heavy fighting was also reported in Deir Al-Zor, Daraya, Aleppo and Homs. The number of Syrian refugees continued to rise over the past week, amounting to a total of 792,118, an increase of around 59,000 newly registered refugees or individuals awaiting registration compared to last week.

The number of dead from the Syria conflict continues to rise after new clashes across the country. Two
days of severe fighting on 30-31 January in the province of Idlib left 47 people dead. The
offensive by the Syrian army against opposition strongholds has continued with attacks and
fresh clashes in Southern Damascus, Aleppo, and the city of Homs. The number of Syrian
refugees continued to rise over the past week, amounting to a total of 733,196.

In Syria the conflict continues to affect large parts of the country with escalating tensions in Homs, Aleppo, Idlib and Damascus provinces. Increased fighting has led to record high levels of new arrivals of refugees in neighbouring countries such as Jordan, where more than 10,000 people arrived between 20 and 24 January alone.

The French-led ground offensive against Islamist rebels in Mali continued on 28 January with armed forces driving Islamic insurgents out of the northern towns of Gao and Timbuktu.

Last week a cold front with historically low temperatures and extreme weather conditions such as torrential rains and flash floods affected Asia and the Middle East. 420,000 people in China’s southwest Guizhou province, 10,000 in India, 2 million in Bangladesh as well as vulnerable populations in Nepal and Kyrgyzstan were affected by cold temperatures.

Seleka rebels in the Central African Republic have taken control of several towns and subsequent fighting has led to displacement and a deterioration of the already precarious humanitarian situation in the country.